Life Advocacy Briefing

No More Mr. Nice Guy

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO) HAS FILED LEGISLATION to protect American women from the continued marketing of mifepristone, the drug whose sole purpose is to starve unborn babies but whose effects have, in at least 11% of users, been deleterious also to the health of the aborting mother.

S-4066, which has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions and is being co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Cornyn (R-TX), provides, according to its official title, “that the approved application under the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act for the drug mifepristone for the purpose of the termination of intrauterine pregnancy is deemed to have been withdrawn, to establish a federal tort for harm to women caused by chemical abortion drugs and for other purposes.”

In other words, Sen. Hawley and two colleagues have waited long enough for the Food & Drug Administrator Marty Makary to withdraw Clinton-era FDA marketing approval for the baby poison.

This will not be the first time Dr. Makary has heard from Sen. Hawley on the topic. The Missouri Senator has been insisting on reconsidering baby poison ever since Pres. Trump won his second term. Crickets from the FDA. Crickets from the White House. How many more babies have to die?

And how many more women have to suffer damage? “‘No amount of profit justifies what has happened to these women,’” Sen. Hawley said in a statement to Fox News Digital, reported by FNC’s Rachel DelGuidice. Besides canceling FDA marketing clearance, the legislation also, notes Ms. DelGuidice, “allow[s] women who say they were harmed by chemical abortions to sue manufacturers and make the labeling and distribution of mifepristone for abortion violations of the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.”

The FNC report notes a recent study by the Ethics & Public Policy Center, which “reviewed a claims database that included 865,727 prescribed mifepristone abortions from 2017 to 2023 and found that 10.93% of women ‘experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging or another serious adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion,’” writes Ms. DelGuidice.

Sen. Hawley has also, notes Anders Hagstrom in a second report for Fox News, “launch[ed] investigations into two mifepristone manufacturers that he says profited off the abortion drug despite evidence that it ‘poses grave risks to women.’”

The Missouri Republican sent letters to the heads of Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, “notify[ing] company administrators that he is opening an investigation via the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Counterterrorism, which he chairs.

“‘Mounting evidence suggests that mifepristone poses grave risks to women,’” he wrote in the letters, quoted by Mr. Hagstrom. “‘Yet your company has continued to profit from the widespread distribution of this drug even as serious questions have emerged about hemorrhage, infection, sepsis and other dangerous complications associated with its use. … Congress must determine what your company knew about the harms associated with mifepristone, when it knew it, what it told regulators and what it may have failed to disclose to women and the public.’

“The letters demand,” reports FNC, “that the companies share documents relating to the investigation by April 24.”

A Good Move

LEGISLATION IS ADVANCING IN WEST VIRGINIA, reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “to allow taxpayer dollars for pregnancy support to also finance abortion pill reversal, a technique to help save the babies of women who regret initiating chemical abortions.”

The bill has passed the state senate 31 to 1 and has now emerged from committee in the House.

“‘We’re not taking away anything that’s currently available under our law,’ said Republican State Sen. Brin Helton, SB-805’s Senate sponsor,” quoted by Mr. Freiburger. “‘What we are doing is adding another choice to women and, in my opinion, giving a lot better medical care through this process.’”

Not Missing a Beat

WYOMING’s GOVERNOR, Republican Mark Gordon, has signed a Human Heartbeat Act, barring abortion once cardiac activity has been detected in a targeted developing baby, usually around six weeks. The state joins Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina in barring abortions of babies whose heartbeats can be heard. Thirteen other states, according to a CBS/AP report, “bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.”

The governor expressed misgivings in signing the new law, sending a letter to the legislature, notes CBS/AP, because the new law does not allow for the killing of developing babies conceived in the midst of a sex crime. And he predicted the new law would bring on litigation.

If Gov. Gordon seeks re-election, we hope pro-life citizens in Wyoming will remember his hedging when he claims pro-life credentials. He told the CBS affiliate KGWN-TV, according to the CBS/AP story, “The law ‘very likely puts us back in the all-too-familiar and unfortunate territory of pro-life litigation.’ The state’s supreme court in January,” notes the CBS/AP report, “struck down a ban on abortion throughout pregnancy.”

But the executive director of the state capital’s abortuary said, according to CBS/AP, that her shop “started referring patients who are farther along in their pregnancies to providers in other states.” Let us pray these women reconsider and that the inconvenience leads to conscientious recognition of their own motherhood.

So Much for ‘Leaving It to the States’

March 16, 2026, LifeSiteNews report by Calvin Freiburger

             The Trump Administration was in court yet again Friday seeking to dismiss more state challenges to the US Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) relaxation of abortion pill rules, insisting pro-life states wait indefinitely for the Administration to decide for itself whether to change the rules rather than force it to enforce existing federal law.

             Numerous states are suing the federal government over its Biden-era removal of the requirement that abortion drugs be dispensed in-person. The change, which opened the pills to being prescribed over the internet and distributed by mail, drastically expanded their usage, encroached on state law and put women at risk, according to the lawsuits.

             On Friday, March 13, the Trump Dept. of Justice [DOJ] filed a motion with the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas seeking either a stay or dismissal of yet another set of state challenges, this time from Florida and Texas. It comes a week after filing a similar motion against Idaho, Kansas and Missouri; and two months after filing against Louisiana.

             All the motions are substantially similar, arguing that the FDA should be left alone to complete its long-promised review of abortion pill safety data and then decide whether and/or how to change the current rules. The Administration argues that injunctions sought by the pro-life states would “short-circuit” this review and potentially “sow administrative and judicial chaos” as multiple courts award conflicting forms of relief. It also claims the states lack standing and “suffer no sovereign injury because they remain free to make and enforce their pro-life policies.”

             “It’s a disgrace that pro-life states like Florida and Texas are having to fight the Trump-Vance Administration in court to uphold their laws and that extremists like Gavin Newsom are being allowed to dictate their policy. The Trump-Vance DOJ has clearly established a policy of siding with the abortion industry as it breaks laws, kills babies and harms women and girls,” responded SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “This motion to dismiss is a slap in the face to red-state allies everywhere, the MAHA movement and Republicans’ deeply loyal pro-life base. …”

             Many pro-lifers are losing patience waiting for the FDA’s review, which was promised in May 2025 but has received no conclusions or significant follow-up since – leaving pro-lifers especially disinclined to wait indefinitely for it as the administration demands in court.

             Last month, a group of senators held a private meeting with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, after which Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) went so far as to declare, “I just don’t think that that review is even underway.” The FDA claims it is merely taking the time to process and review all the data carefully. Mail-order abortion pills have become arguably the abortion lobby’s most important tool for perpetuating abortion-on-demand and undermining pro-life laws, as it makes chemical abortions even in pro-life states extremely difficult to prevent.

             Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s most recent annual report revealed that, almost two years (as of April 2024) after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed direct abortion bans to be enforced for the first time in half a century, the nation’s largest abortion chain still operated almost 600 facilities nationwide, through which it committed 392,715 in the most recent reporting period. …

Resistance Can Pay

Jan. 27, 2026, Daily Citizen report by Zachary Mettler (too good to let go, even if a bit late!)

             The state of New York has spent a decade attempting to force nuns and other religious ministries to cover the cost of abortions. But no longer.

             In 2017, New York created a statewide abortion mandate requiring employers to cover abortifacients and even surgical abortions in their health plans.

             According to [the] Becket [Fund for Religious Liberty pro-bono law firm], New York initially planned to respect conscience rights by exempting employers with religious objections. But under pressure from abortion activists, the state greatly narrowed the exemption to protect only religious organizations that “primarily employ and serve people of their own faith.”

             “For nearly a decade, New York bureaucrats tried to strong-arm nuns into paying for abortions because they serve all those in need,’ said Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket and an attorney for the religious groups. “At long last, the state has given up its disgraceful campaign,” Windham added. “This victory confirms that the government cannot punish religious ministries for living out their faith by serving everyone.”

             A coalition of religious groups from a variety of streams of Christian faith sued New York “arguing that the law forced them to violate their deeply held religious beliefs about the sanctity of life,” Becket notes. “The groups include Roman Catholic dioceses, an order of goat-herding Anglican nuns, Baptist and Lutheran churches and Catholic ministries.”

             However, when New York courts failed to protect the organizations’ religious freedom rights, the ministries asked the US Supreme Court to take up their case. In 2021, the Court reversed the lower courts and asked them to reconsider the case in light of the Court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In that case, the Supreme Court upheld Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) constitutional right to refuse to place children in foster homes with same-sex couples. The Court held Philadelphia’s refusal to contract with CSS because of the organization’s religious beliefs violated the First Amendment’s free exercise clause. However, the New York courts once again sided against the religious organizations, forcing the ministries to again seek relief from the Supreme Court.

             In 2024, the Court again sent the case back down to the New York courts for reconsideration in light of the Court’s unanimous ruling in Catholic Charities. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment prohibits states from requiring organizations to meet certain theological criteria to qualify for exemptions from unemployment taxes. Considering that ruling, New York agreed that its abortion mandate ran contrary to the Supreme Court’s decision in Catholic Charities and decided to end the case.

             “The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that religious groups shouldn’t be bullied for staying true to their faith,” said Windham. “We are glad that New York finally agreed to settle this case and protect religious objectors from discrimination.” The case is Diocese of Albany v. Harris.

March for Life Address

Today’s Life Advocacy transcript from the Jan. 23, 2026, March for Life in Washington is of the speech given by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), long-time chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus, whose address is a March highlight every year. His colleagues were arranged across the stage behind him.

             We have an amazing Speaker [referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson] – he is strong, he is lion-hearted, he’s got a heart of gold as well – and does he ever lead effectively, especially now that we have such a narrow majority. He’s just amazing. Steve Scalise, the great Majority Leader – we have a leadership that is second to none. I’ve been here since Ronald Reagan’s first election – 1981 – but I could tell you, this leadership is the most pro-life, so committed. And behind me are just absolute heroes – men and women who take up the fight every single day.

             You know, Michelle Fischbach’s bill that passed this week to help pregnancy care centers – only one Democrat voted for it. and the debate, if you go back and watch it on C-Span, was disgusting, as the pregnancy care centers were smeared by these Democrats who are leading the charge against it. Of course, Michelle stood strongly against [them] and did an amazing job, and we did secure its passage.

             Let me just say very briefly, my dear wife Marie and I more than 50 years ago met in the pro-life movement, and today, like you, we are more committed, hope-filled, determined, and let me add, more impatient than ever to see Life celebrated as a gift from God.

             With indomitable faith, compassion and tenacity – and all of you I know are doing this – we must today recommit to protecting the weakest and the most vulnerable. As Mike said, as the Speaker has indicated, and others before, more than 2,700 pregnancy resource centers throughout the US are helping women choose life. And each and every one of those centers is an oasis of love, empathy, compassion, and they have helped so many women both during the pregnancy and afterwards, as well as the families. Yet, yet, all over the country – especially in my state of New Jersey – there’s an all-out effort to shutter them, to shut them down, which is outrageous. The smears that are being borne by the pregnancy care center community are unconscionable, and we need to push back as never before to protect them.

             Let me remind everybody that the Knights of Columbus did another Marist Poll and it did find that 84% of Americans, including 75% of Democrats, support pregnancy care centers. Let me just say briefly, but I know you know this and I hope the media takes more note of it as this day, as these days go on, but the purveyors of death and their enablers in politics and academia and elsewhere aggressively foster a culture of death, and they do employ a seemingly endless array of deceitful tactics, often the big lie, that trivializes the massive cruelty of abortion.

             The abortion pill – mifepristone – is baby poison that kills the unborn child by starving the baby girl or the baby boy to death – that’s how it works – starvation – a pill to starve another human being. We now know that the abortion pill – we’ve long suspected this – is extremely dangerous to women, and I ask the media, investigative reporters: start uncovering or get rid of this cover-up that we’ve had since the Clinton Administration. The Ethics and Public Policy Center released an historic report that found, that called the abortion pill harms women, and they found that over 10 percent of all women who take that pill have very serious adverse events because of it, including sepsis and hemorrhaging. FDA says it’s 1/2 of 1%; those numbers were cooked up by previous Obama and of course the Clinton and then into the Biden Administration. That’s got to stop; we got to unmask this hurter, this killer of women as well as the adverse effect it’s having.

             Let me just conclude, and you heard it from our Vice President so eloquently in his remarks, with President Trump’s new comprehensive Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance – also known as the Mexico City Policy – and as you know, it got its name because Reagan sent a delegation to a UN conference in Mexico City and at that Senator James Buckley and others announced this tremendous policy of no longer supporting any organization that promotes or supports abortion. And then, though, it only applied to family planning – about a half-a-billion dollars. Trump in his first year, first term, put all global health under that; that’s about 9 billion, and today he’s putting all foreign assistance – about 30 billion – under the Mexico City provisions. And that means that the Planned Parenthoods, the Marie Stopes Internationals and all these other hideous groups that kill babies, promote the killing of babies every day of the week – they do it here in Washington, they do it in foreign capitals – are defunded by this administration.

             Each and every day, my friends, and I conclude, thanks to your efforts and your prayers, many unborn children and their mothers have been, are being and will be protected. We know that the injustice of abortion need not be forever. God bless you, everyone.

Wisdom from Mr. Hyde

Join us in reading a paragraph-by-paragraph reprinting of the Sept. 19, 1996, speech by Rep. Henry J. Hyde to the House of Representatives, in which he called for the House to override Pres. Clinton’s veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, HR-1833. Rep. Hyde has long been seen as one of America’s all-time leading orators and a model communicator in the cause of Life.

             … The President, reacting angrily to this challenge to his veto, claims not to understand why the morality of those who support a ban on partial-birth abortions is superior to the morality of “compassion” that he insists informed his decision to reject Congress’s ban on what Senator Moynihan has said – and I quote – is too close to infanticide – close quote. Well, let me explain, Mr. President. There’s no moral nor, for that matter, medical justification for this barbaric assault on a partially born infant. Dr. Pamela Smith, director of medical education in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Chicago’s Mt. Sinai Hospital, testified to that, as have many other doctors.